Built in 1962 MANY things to do.. Where to start?

Well my house was built in 1962 and even though it isn't that old of a house it has not gotten regular maintenance over the years and now has many many many projects that need to be completed under a very tight budget! My question to you veterans of the DIY trade is where do I begin? 2 bathrooms need to be remodeled, the kitchen, and a room that could possibly be turned into a home theater. I will upload pictures if that would help to possibly get some pointers as to where I should begin and maybe the cost I might be looking at per area (ie bathroom 1, bathroom 2) I've seen some shows on HGTV that show some rooms being redone with very clever and frugal ideas and would like to some how apply that to my situation. (The frugalness most of all!)

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Start with safety issues first. Then address issues that could create further damage to the house(caulking, flashing, leaks, cracks,...). Then move on to functional and aesthetic/cosmetic projects. You mention a tight budget, and then mention a home theater room. Get a list of what you want to do, then figure out the costs and prioritize. There is plenty of knowledge on this board so you'll get plenty of help on specific questions about your projects.

Sorry if the pictures are big or if im supposed to attach them I will fix them if theyre wrong

Ok heres the kitchen.. as you can see it is in bad condition.

I would just like to update it and make it not look so plain. I don't even know where to begin..

This is one of the bathrooms.. as you can see it has been turned into more of a storage space.. I definately want to redo the counter and around the corner what you cant see is 2 plain white sinks and 2 stalls.

Another bathroom..

The lighting in here isnt great when it comes to looking in the mirror it was quite dim and would like to put lights possibly above the sinks.. would it be difficult to install those? Again, I would like to update this and make it more modern and not so dull and plain.

So as you can see I have my work cut out for me. I will definately be taking your advice and visiting all the stores I can that are going out of business or getting rid of old stock. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I'll be able to decide which room to focus on first..

Forgot to snap a picture of the other room.. as far as that is concerned it needs flooring and a wall knocked down (theres no plumbing or electrical in the wall so lucked out a little on that) but the furniture issue is already addressed as well as a projector just need a mount for it

edit: heres the room.. past the room and the wall that I want to go it extends for about 2/3 the length of this room and has another small bathroom to the right of it

I'm just trying to look into any means of possibly doing it with as little outside help as possible. The last quote that was taken for the kitchen + home theater including knocking out the wall was hovering around $80k which is a little steep all at once.. still waiting on a quote for the individual rooms but I'm sure any DIY work I we could do would help to get the costs lowered

Much depends on how in depth you plan to go with renovations. Personally, I'd start with the electrical service. Everything you remodel from here on will require more power, breaker spaces, circuits, etc. Most 1962 vintage houses will be limited in that area. Then look at plumbing upgrades. When you get the basic, essential services in place, they will support your renovations much easier and you will end up with a job that isn't as patched together. That will also give you time to better plan any tear outs of baths and kitchen, since they will be the most costly and the hardest to change if you happen to make a mistake during the process. Good luck, learn all you can, ask questions before you swing the sledge hammer. Most importantly, don't bite off more than you can chew. (I'm assuming you plan to do most of this work yourself) People on here are more than willing to help some-one who shows a common sense approach to DIY work and there are a lot of pros on here with a lot of combined years of knowledge in all trades and all areas of the country. And they provide all that valuable consultation for free.

It is a fraternity house that was neglected in a lot of aspects as you can see. Makes me want to switch my major from engineering to architecture or interior design at times.. I really am interested in house upgrades and to let a big house slowly deteriorate further saddens me greatly! I'm assuming it comes from growing up with my grandparents that watched HGTV religiously and were always doing projects with the bathrooms, the patio and the backyard with different gardening projects as well as some architectural pieces

In my area I have clients that want to do it the DIY way, and can handle a hammer and a nail gun. Sometimes all they need is a little help in clarifying their vision, and help breaking that vision down into some objectives, and breaking those down into some tactical plans. I tell folks, that new bathroom or multilevel deck may seem as daunting as the invasion of Normandy, but even the invasion of Normandy was broken down from a vision into objectives, then into tactical plans and logistical supply chains. Have a good plan.

The incentive to DIY is significant. A rough estimate is that 30-60% of a contracted job cost is labor. And although a pro will do it like a pro and to a pro-level of quality with a pro's efficiency, sometimes homeowners have a love affair with the house and want the project to be theirs. But I always walk my clients through the decision of what they can handle and what they can't, with all the risks and rewards.

In your case, spend some time and create a vision of what you want. Take notes, cut images out of magazines or off the net for inspiration. There are a lot of web sites that have image galleries for "inspiration". If your utilities are ok, start with a room, any room. Get a first-pass vision of what you want, and document it. Go through all the spaces in the same fashion. Then do another pass, to see if there's any integration. Draw a rough floor plan and get creative. When you're ready, break it up into objectives: bathroom, kitchen, hallway, etc. Then break that up into the tactical plan that achieves the objective. Example:

Vision for the bathroom, get it down to wall color, tile selection, fixtures.

Tactical plan for demo would be tools needed, tarps needed, dustmask, gloves, trash containers, where the trash goes once it comes off the wall, how it gets to a landfill, pulling old fixtures, how to get the floor covering up, etc. Then price it out. Same deal with everything else. But in most of the cases you'll also have to address the code issues. Typically I put together a list up front of what clients need to follow. And if they need drawings, I either do them or help the folks do them themselves. I even walk clients up to the counter and through the process of pulling a permit, because sometimes folks have never done that.

Of course it's a lot simpler if you're not going to go down to the studs. But you get the picture.

As for where to start, I would tackle what I have the budget for, and for that, you need to go through the process and get some prices. And you'll end up with more of your sanity left and more motivation if you have a master plan sitting in a 3 ring binder, than if you just jumped in a room and started tearing stuff out.